Developmental recovery and deficit in children adopted from Eastern European orphanages.

This research examined the degree of developmental recovery during the 1st year of placement in a sample of 124 children adopted from Eastern European orphanages. At the time of adoption, substantial growth and developmental delays were identified, with about half below the 5th percentile on weight and on height. Results indicated that there was considerable catch-up in all areas at postadoption. However, older, later placed children exhibited more developmental delays compared with earlier adopted children. Regression analysis revealed that the degree of developmental delay at the time of adoption, along with the duration of time spent in the adoptive home and age at adoption placement, predicted significant amounts of variance associated with developmental catch-up. In contrast, weight and height at time of adoption were not related to children's development postadoption.